Actor Robert Downey Jr. (hi, Oppenheimer and Iron Man) and entrepreneur Craig Dubitsky (the creative mind behind the eos, Method and hello brands) combined forces a few years ago to co-found happy coffee. Now happy products (including light, medium and dark roast ground coffee, coffee pods, instant coffee, canned cold brew and flavored latte options) are sold in more than 1,000 Target stores and on Target.com, with a “seriously delicious” promise that delivers. The thoughtfully sourced, responsibly grown and harvested, expertly blended coffee is a brand on a mission: happy supports mental health in partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
We caught up with Craig and Robert just in time for National Coffee Day (September 29) to learn more about happy, their approach to coffee and more.
What inspired you to co-found a coffee company?
Craig: Making things people fall in love with that can elevate the everyday really inspires me, and I felt like there was so much opportunity within the coffee space. The simple, incredible joy of sipping a fresh cup of coffee felt like it had been lost, and I had the thought, if coffee makes people happy, why can’t happy make their coffee?
Robert, how did you and Craig meet, and how did that lead to creating happy?
Robert: A mutual friend connected me with Craig, and we had this immediate connection around the power of storytelling, entrepreneurship and design. When I heard about his initial vision for happy, I was immediately on board — especially as I’m obsessed with anything and everything coffee-related.
What’s something you’ve learned since getting into the coffee business?
Craig: What’s especially cool about coffee is the number of variables and options out there, from geography to soil density to roasting temperature, that all impact the experience. Our team did a ton of research and experimentation to really fine-tune these variables to create incredible flavor profiles across our entire range of products.
How do you drink your coffee?
Robert: Straight happy cold brew for the win. But if I’m going hot, then it’s light roast (most caffeine) upon rising, medium roast post-lunch and dark roast (least caffeine) at dinner.
Craig: I’m not going to lie, I’m all-in on the happy mocha and caramel lattes. And sometimes I mix them together, or with our cold brew.
The happy mission is to support mental health in partnership with NAMI. Tell us more.
Craig: While coffee absolutely makes us happy, great coffee alone can only do so much. One in five adults in the U.S. face some form of mental health challenge each year, and few receive the help they need. We wanted to offer help and hope as part of our purpose, so we’re proud to partner with NAMI to raise awareness about free, meaningful support for individuals and families affected by mental health conditions. We also reimagined the relationship between entrepreneurship and philanthropy by giving NAMI an equity stake in our company — they’re owners just like us. Our success is their success, and it makes what we do every day that much more important.
Any insights from your work with happy that you’d like to share with our readers?
Robert: It’s hard to bring a truly new approach if you’re not actively listening, learning and partnering, and that’s where the magic of a strong team makes all the difference. At happy we have an incredible group of individuals with diverse backgrounds that always asks “well, what if” versus “well, that’s how it’s done.”
What makes happy and Target a good match?
Craig: Target is a true thought leader, and an amazing fit for happy. We have a shared ethos of turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Getting our products on Target shelves was a dream of ours from the very start. Target also has a strong and storied history of giving back to its team members and communities, which is also near and dear to our hearts and purpose. Giving back in material and thoughtful ways makes us all happy.
What’s in your Target cart?
Robert: I love a basic. If you want me excited, get me a six-pack of socks!
Craig: No surprise here: lots of Method, lots of hello and lots of Good & Gather iced oatmeal cookie bars — I’m more than a bit obsessed.
